Two-time GRAMMY nominee Koryn Hawthorne is preparing for a new chapter. After rising to national attention on The Voice and finding a Platinum-certified hit in "Won't He Do It," the Louisiana singer signed with Motown Gospel in 2026 and is set to release her EP Big Gospel in early 2027. In this JubileeCast interview, Hawthorne talks about the lived experiences behind her music, why "His Favorite" has prompted questions about God's favor, and how injury and a friend's loss gave "God Is Real" a deeper meaning. She also shares what keeps her grounded as her career grows.
Q: What's inspiring the music you're creating right now, and what are you hoping to communicate through it?
A: Life, honestly. Sometimes somebody brings me a song that speaks directly to where I am, and sometimes we're creating something from what I'm going through. Either way, it starts with something real. I'm living life and talking about it in an honest, raw way.
I think people sometimes expect Gospel to sound a certain way or for everything to be said in very churchy language. My approach is more like what you find in Bible stories. You get the truth about people's lives - their struggles, their decisions, their questions - and you get to see God working through all of it.
That's what I want to do with my music: take people through the journey. The message might not always be spelled out in the first line, but when you really listen, there's encouragement there. There's something you can recognize in your own life. At the end of the day, I'm sharing my testimony.
Q: Was there a particular season in your own life that shaped these songs and challenged your faith in a new way?
A: Absolutely. These songs connect to things I've actually lived through, so the music is personal. But what's interesting is that a song can become even more personal after you've recorded it.
You can connect with a lyric in one season and then go through something later that gives those same words a completely different meaning. That's been happening for me with this music. Things I already believed and sang about have become things I've had to lean on in a deeper way.
So the testimony keeps growing. The song might be finished, but I'm still living, still learning, and still discovering what those words mean for me. Sometimes life brings you back to your own music, and you need the encouragement you were hoping to give somebody else.
Q: What's the story behind "His Favorite," and what do you hope listeners take away from its message about waiting on God's timing?
A: First, I want to clear something up, because people hear "His Favorite" and immediately say, "God doesn't have favorites!" But the song is about the favor of God. I'm not saying I'm better than anybody or that God loves me more than He loves you.
What I'm talking about is relationship. I believe there are things we learn to recognize and walk in as we grow closer to God, including His favor. Everybody has access to that relationship, but we don't all cultivate it in the same way. For me, the title is a personal, confident expression of that connection.
The invitation is for you, too. I want people to want that closeness with God for themselves - to know Him, trust Him, and recognize His hand in their lives.
And when it comes to timing, having favor doesn't mean you never have to wait. You can have a relationship with God and still have things you're praying for that haven't happened yet. That waiting doesn't cancel His favor over your life.
Q: What's the story behind "God Is Real," and what do you hope listeners take away from it?
A: Charles Jenkins, who also brought me "Look At God," brought me this record, and I instantly connected with it. But after recording it, I dealt with an injury and watched a friend and his family experience the loss of his brother. Those experiences gave the song a weight it didn't have for me before.
Those are the moments when you realize, "I'm only human. I can't fix everything. I can't control everything." And when you're faced with that, you need something supernatural to hold on to.
That's truly what this record means to me.
Watching people I care about hurt, I want to remind them that God is still real. Because in those moments, you can feel like He isn't there or that He doesn't care. But He does. When we don't know how to heal, we can turn to Him. When we don't know where to look for answers, we can turn to Him.
Trusting God doesn't mean you always understand His timing. Sometimes you're still hurting. Sometimes you're still waiting. I hope this song reminds people that they can bring all of that to Him and trust that He's there, even when they don't understand what's happening.
Q: Who are your influences, and how have they shaped your music and your walk with Christ?
A: My musical influences are across the board. Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Etta James, James Brown, Tina Turner, Mary Mary, Mary J. Blige, Tye Tribbett - all of them have shaped me as an artist in some way. Whether it's their voice, their performance, their energy, or the way they connect with people, there's something I've taken from each of them.
When it comes to my walk with Christ, I think about people like Fred Hammond and the Gospel music I grew up hearing at home. I remember watching my mom pray while those songs played. So my connection to that music goes beyond loving a record. It takes me back to watching her worship and seeing what a relationship with God looked like.
That's how I started learning to worship myself. Those songs were part of my introduction to expressing my faith, and they still carry those memories for me.
Q: How do you stay grounded spiritually while navigating the pressures and expectations of success?
A: I think it starts with remembering that what I do isn't all of who I am. I'm grateful for the awards, the nominations, and everybody who listens to my music. But those things can't be what tells me I'm valuable, because then my sense of worth would change every time the numbers did.
Having a life outside of music matters to me. Being home in Louisiana, being with my family, cooking, taking care of my animals - those things give me space to just be Koryn. Everything doesn't have to be about the next accomplishment.
Spiritually, I have to remember who gave me the gift in the first place. I want to do well with what God has entrusted to me, but I don't want to become so focused on success that I lose sight of Him.
The accomplishments are blessings. They're not my identity.
Q: If someone plays your music during one of the hardest seasons of their life, what do you pray they experience by the time the song ends?
A: I pray they feel less alone. I'm not expecting somebody's whole situation to change in the few minutes it takes to hear a song. But if they can breathe a little easier, feel a little hope, or find the words to talk to God again, that means something.
Sometimes you don't need somebody to explain your pain. You need a reminder that you haven't been forgotten in it. You can be hurting and still be loved. You can have questions and still turn to God.
That's what I hope my music gives people - the reassurance that even here, in whatever they're facing, God can meet them. They don't have to have it all together to reach for Him.
